What is Somatic OCD?

Somatic OCD  also known as sensorimotor OCD  is a lesser-known but deeply distressing subtype of obsessive–compulsive disorder. Unlike more commonly recognized OCD themes, Somatic OCD centers on the body itself. Sufferers become hyperaware of automatic bodily functions and neutral physical sensations that are meant to happen in the background of everyday life, things like breathing, blinking, swallowing, heartbeats, digestion, or even the awareness of specific body parts.

These sensations are not usually painful or harmful. What makes Somatic OCD uniquely debilitating is the relentless focus on them. The more attention the mind directs to a neutral process, the more intrusive and anxiety-provoking it becomes. Individuals often fear that they will never stop noticing these sensations, that they will “go crazy,” or that their body is malfunctioning.

Hyperawareness of visual attention  such as worrying about where you’re looking or noticing eyelashes, floaters, or the nose in your field of vision can also appear, sometimes referred to as visual Tourettic OCD.

Common Obsessions in Somatic OCD

People experiencing Somatic OCD often report thoughts such as:

• What if I never stop noticing this sensation?
• What if I lose my mind because of this?
• Why am I breathing so loudly or so often?
• Am I blinking too much?
• Is my heart beating correctly?
• Why can I feel my digestion happening?
• Where exactly am I looking? What if I look at the wrong thing?
• What if I lose control over my automatic bodily functions?

These thoughts don’t come and go. They recur, intensify, and trigger spirals of fear and monitoring.

Compulsions: The Invisible Cycle

To relieve the anxiety from these obsessions, individuals often perform compulsions physical or mental behaviors aimed at gaining control or reassurance. Common compulsions include:

• Repeated body-checking
• Constant monitoring of sensations or bodily functions
• Counting swallows, breaths, or heartbeats
• Avoiding exercise, heat, certain foods, or anything that increases bodily sensations
• Reassurance seeking from others about what’s “normal”
• Compulsive research about bodily sensations
• Mentally reviewing past sensations or comparing them
• Trying to intentionally control automatic processes (like forcing the breath)

Unfortunately, compulsions only reinforce and strengthen the obsession, keeping the brain locked in a cycle of hyperawareness and fear.

A Different Perspective: The Value of Attention Redirection

Here’s a take that many find refreshing and liberating:

Attention redirection, when done from a place of values and intention rather than fear, it isn’t avoidance, and it is not compulsive. It can be genuinely therapeutic.

Sitting still and “stewing” in the sensations often makes them louder and more threatening. The more you try to scrutinize or analyze the sensation, the more the brain learns it is “important” so it continues to highlight it.

Instead, when you consciously shift focus toward meaningful, engaging, present-moment activities, your brain gradually deprioritizes the sensation. It’s not about pushing sensations away or trying to erase them, that would be another compulsion. It’s about allowing them to be there while redirecting your attention to something that matters more.

You are not trying to fix your body. You’re teaching your brain that it doesn’t need to monitor it.

Mindfulness and Somatic OCD

Mindfulness-based practices can play a significant role in healing:

• Learning to observe sensations without judgment
• Practicing non-reactive awareness
• Doing guided body scans where sensations are acknowledged neutrally rather than analyzed
• Grounding attention in breath, senses, or meaningful activities

Through repeated practice, the nervous system becomes less alarmed, hyperawareness fades, and bodily sensations regain their rightful place in the background of life.

Final Thoughts

Somatic OCD is real, distressing, and often misunderstood even by mental health professionals. But recovery is possible. With evidence-based treatment, especially ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) paired with mindfulness and values-based attention redirection, the brain can relearn that the body is not a threat, and that awareness does not equal danger.

Relief doesn’t come from trying to control sensations.

It comes from learning to live without needing to.